FOXBOROUGH – It was a strange mix of emotions inside Gillette Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
On one hand, the introduction of four good players via free agency brought a whiff of promise and optimism to the GP Atrium where Robert Kraft, Eliot Wolf, Mike Vrabel and newcomers Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, Morgan Moses and Milton Williams spoke after officially signing their deals.
But, on the other hand, the news of longtime center David Andrews being released was hard to ignore. In our short time working with Andrews he was the ultimate professional. Those that have covered his entire career have nothing but glowing things to say about him. Perhaps most jarring of all, with the departure of Deatrich Wise and Jonathan Jones as well, fans watch as pieces of the past continue to fade away.
Before moving on to the guys who hope to replicate the standard Andrews help set, Robert Kraft opened his speech acknowledging the decision.
“I’m very excited about what’s coming, and I’ve been told I should calm down. (Laughter). But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t first acknowledge a departure,” Kraft said. “Today we released our two-time Super Bowl champion and one of my favorite players ever to come through our locker room, David Andrews. David has been an integral part of the Patriots for the past decade, including the past eight years he was a captain of the team. He was just not a leader in the locker room, but he was an outstanding individual in the community and very special.
“On a personal level, I was able to spend time with him, with David and his incredible wife Mackenzie, on a trip to the Holy Land, and really got to know them very well five or six years ago. He’s just a very special guy. It’s the hard part of this business when you have to release people.”
This is more of an indication of how cut throat the business – and in this particular instance – Vrabel needs to be. Knowing Kraft’s emotional ties to players like Andrews, it may have taken some convincing from Vrabel, especially with this timing.
While the new head coach was a little less sentimental when asked about the move, he did acknowledge his respect for Andrews maintaining the culture he helped create.
“I want to thank him,” Vrabel said. “Having not playing at this organization quite as long as he had, but being here, I want to thank him for that, for being here and carrying on a tradition that so many great players before him had.”
The word is that David Andrews would still like to play. Unfortunately, after some incredible memories both on and off the field (especially in duck boats) and through 124 games (121 starts), if No. 60 does suit up again, it won’t be as a Patriot.
It’s a hard reality of the changing times in Foxborough, but we can all take solace in the fact that he will undoubtedly one day wear a red jacket and receive a proper ‘thank you.’